Mini-two-card poker game

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a wagering card game using playing cards. The method may have steps of:
         a) a player making an Ante wager against the dealer on relative rank of a player 2-card poker hand against a dealer 2-card poker hand;   b) dealing a player one playing card;   c) dealing a dealer one playing card;   d) dealing three community cards   e) after the player views the player single card and three community cards the player elects to make a Play wager in addition to the Ante wager or folds.   f) all wagers made in steps a) through e) are resolved on the basis of two card poker ranks by player and dealer selecting best 2-card hands using his hole card and one of the three community cards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to gaming and to card games. Moreparticularly, the present invention pertains to a method of playing anew type of poker game especially adapted for casino gaming, both inlive table and electronic video formats.

2. Background of the Invention

Gaming establishments continually require new games to offer theirplayers. Casinos seek games that are easy to play and deal and that alsocreate many decisions per hour. In popular casino poker games such as“Three Card Poker,” “Let It Ride® stud poker,” “Four-Card Poker™ games,”“Crazy-4-Poker™ games” and “Caribbean Stud Poker® games” they have foundsuch games that are faster than the traditional poker room type game(which also requires a larger table).

The problems associated with the above mentioned games are in the speedof the delivery to the customers. Players get bored waiting for theconstant shuffling before they get to see a new hand. In each of theabove listed popular casino poker games, each game only deals one handto a player and then there is a shuffle. Therefore there is a constantneed for the casino to get more “hands per hour” to increase the casinohold. The game of two card poker solves this problem by dealing morethan one round of cards from the same deck (s) thus increasing the speedof the game. Time is saved by not having to shuffle as frequently. Theplayers are happier because they get hands to them more quickly.

Insofar as the prior art is concerned, the art is particularly void ofany disclosures or showings of a two card poker game or of any game thatdeals more than one round from a single deck (s). The patent to WebbU.S. Pat. No. 6,345,823 discloses a card game which may either be playedin either a three card variation, or a five card variation. While thepatent mentions a two card version of the game it includes a wild cardto make a three card hand. Hence, the wagering system is dependant upona three card hand and is not dependant upon the best hand with twocards. Webb fails to disclose a two card capability to make a two cardstraight or flush or the dealing of more than one round of cards fromthe same single deck, and or more than one round from at least twodecks.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,112 (Kenny) discloses a poker game variant usingtwo-card poker rules as the basis of competition. The game is playedwith a dealer and at least one player. The game play includes (a)providing at least one standard deck of 52 playing cards plus at leastone joker; (b) providing a published poker ranking of winning handsranked from highest to lowest; (c) providing a pre-determined pay scalefor winning hands; (d) providing a pre-determined minimum hand rankingfor a dealer to achieve as a qualifying hand; (e) starting a round ofplay wherein each player making certain initial wager(s) of thefollowing types of wagers; (i.) a first wager against the dealer, and(ii.) a voluntary wager against a predetermined pay scale, (f) dealingonly two cards to each player to form a player's two card poker hand;(g) dealing only two cards to the dealer to form a dealer's two cardpoker hand, wherein the two cards dealt to the player and the two cardsdealt to the dealer are the only two cards dealt during the first roundof play; (h) giving the player the option of ending wagering game andforfeiting all initial wagers made in step (e) above if said player doesnot wish to continue to play the wagering game; (i) giving the playeroption of proceeding to play the wagering game against the dealer byplayer placing a third support wager in support of the first wageragainst the dealer; (j) the game ending if the dealer fails to achievesaid qualifying hand in accordance with said pre-determined minimum handranking and dealer paying the player's certain initial wager(s), ifwagered, against said predetermined pay scale; (k) the game proceedingif the dealer has achieved said qualifying hand in accordance with saidpre-determined minimum hand ranking and the player has not ended game instep (h) above; (l) comparing the player's two card poker hand againstthe dealer's two card poker hand; (m) identifying the outcome of thewagering game by correlating the player's and dealer's two card pokerhands to the published ranking of winning hands, and paying the winninghand as follows: (i.) if the player's hand outranks the dealer's handaccording to the published ranking of winning hands, dealer pays theplayer's certain initial wager(s) against the dealer and player's thirdsupport wager; (ii.) if the player has achieved a rank at least as highas the first ranking according to the published ranking, dealer pays theplayer's separate voluntary wager against said predetermined pay scale;(iii.) if the dealer's hand outranks the players hand according to thepublished ranking of winning hands, dealer takes the player's certaininitial wager(s) against the dealer and player's third support wager;(iv.) if the player fails to achieve at least the minimum rankingaccording to the published ranking of winning hands, dealer takes theplayer's separate voluntary wager against said predetermined pay scale;and (v.) if the player has the same ranking as the dealer according tothe published ranking of winning hands, the dealer returns the player'scertain initial wager(s) and player's third support wager; (n) givingthe player option of starting a new round of play by repeating steps (e)through (m) before a shuffle of the standard deck of 52 playing cardsplus at least one joker is made and ending the first round of play andnew rounds of play by collecting the playing cards and returning theplayed cards to the at least one standard deck of 52 cards plus at leastone joker.

Published U.S. Patent Application Document 20040009082 (Fargano)describes a method and apparatus for playing an only two card per commonhand, two hands per common round, and a number of rounds per shufflebaccarat-poker variant wagering-card game for a number of players basedon the probable and possible outcomes provided by a master packconsisting essentially an equal number of conventional playing cards.The method has steps of; reducing four-decks of conventional playingcards by removing and excluding from play all the numerically designatedTwo through Ten spot cards, shuffling the remaining sixty-fouralphabetically designated A, K, Q, and J royal card master pack, placinga cut-card limiting dealing penetration of said pack, shifting a numberof said cards from the top to the bottom of said pack; players placingopening baccarat-typical wagers to participate in game, and giving saidplayers the option to place an eight symbol bonus wager; dealing anopening card face-up to a common yang player hand; dealing an openingcard face-up to a common yin banker hand; giving players a chance toexamine the opening, and place an optional poker-like call-wagerpredicting a combined all four-card outcome involving both said handsexpressed as a premium poker-typical hand; examining and acceptingappropriate said optional wagers; dealing one closing card face-up tosaid yin hand; dealing one closing card face-up to said yang hand;rating and identifying all outcomes and resolving all wagers as perpre-determined rating index, rules, and pay-out odds. repeating thesteps excluding the shuffle until the cut card emerges on top of saidpack.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,002 (Goldman) discloses a poker style casino gamewhich uses a 52 card standard deck plus an additional 5 jokers for atotal of 57 cards. The game concludes with the comparison of a five cardpoker hand between the dealer and the player (s). Goldman reveals thatthe jokers used are not wild and thus are bad for a player to getbecause they can not now complete their live card hands. Goldman failsto reveal any capability to make a two card poker hand or deal more thanone round from a single deck.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,345,823 (Webb) describes a card game that combines theplay of a Poker-variant card game (e.g., three-, four-, and five-cardPoker) with a proposition game (e.g., Pair Plus). Players wageringagainst a dealer's hand also wager against a predetermined ranking ofwinning hands, and may place additional wagers. According to anotheraspect, players are provided with a wild card which is retained and usedrepeatedly by each player with each hand.

Additional technology to play rapid casino table card games is stillimportant to the industry. All references cited herein are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a hold'em style poker game variation inwhich one or more players play against the casino and optionally againsta paytable in at least a 2-Card poker game. Broadly, the invention isdirected to a hold'em poker game variant in which a player has a choiceamong several wagers among the following; a mandatory wager against adealer, a second wager against a dealer, a wager against apre-determined pay scale, a second wager against a pre-determined payscale, a bad beat wager, a wager on the dealers hand, a wager combiningthe player and dealer hands, a wager using the dealer and players holecards with the community cards, or a progressive wager.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, one or moreplayers initially place at least an Ante wager(s) and then a single cardis dealt to the player and a single card is dealt to the dealer facedown and a flop of community cards face up. Players inspect their handsto determine their best 2-Card poker hand using one of the communitycards with their hole card and decide whether to fold or to continue toplay by making a Play wager. If the player was playing a wager againstthe dealer and wanted to continue to play, they would place the Playwager in support of their first Ante wager in the appropriate bettingarea. After players decide to remain in the game, the dealer would turnover his hole card completing a 2-Card poker hand using one of thecommunity cards with his hole card. Various betting structures and carddelivery structures, up to three community cards are described herein,but may be more or less depending upon designer modifications based onstrategies, odds, payouts, and additional game elements added to theunderlying game. If the player had also made any side bet wagers againstachieving a pre-determined rank, and achieves such a rank, the playerwould win that side bet wager accordingly. This game preferably uses astandard deck of 52 playing cards and may use up to 2 jokers in variableplay.

It is contemplated that in the game of the present invention, for atleast some of the wagers to be active and be resolved, the casino mayeither require the dealer or the player to achieve a qualifying hand. Ifthe dealer must qualify and he does not, then the initial Ante wagersmade by the player against the dealer would be paid if the player had ahigher ranked hand, but not the Play wager in that circumstance. Usuallyside bet wagers against a paytable do not require dealer qualification.If the player was required to qualify and did not, then the player wouldforfeit their initial wager against the dealer. The game may be playedwithout requiring any of the participants to have a qualifying hand inorder to continue with the game.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course,additional features of the invention that will be described hereafterand which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. Inthis respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the presentinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction or to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily beutilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, andsystems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention.It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as includingsuch equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from thespirit and scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a chart indicating winning poker hands and their payouts inone example of a wager against a predetermined pay scale of the presentinvention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, playersplay against a casino. However, in jurisdictions where such games arenot legal, such as in California, one player may be designated“Player-Dealer” and all the other players would play against thePlayer-Dealer. The option to act as Player-Dealer would be offered toeach player in their turn. In this specification, the term “Dealer” isintended to refer to either a casino dealer, or a Player-Dealer,whichever is appropriate for the circumstances under which the game ofthe present invention is played.

Underlying play of one embodiment of a game according to the presenttechnology can include the following steps, using either a live dealerand player(s) or a virtual dealer and players, with physical playingcards or virtual playing cards provided by a processor with a randomnumber generator to a display system. At least one player places an Antewager (live or electronic) for play of an underlying game against adealer (live or virtual). One card is dealt to each player and to thedealer (the dealer's card must be dealt face down). The player may atthis time be required to make a Play wager to remain in the game orfold. Alternatively, at least one community card towards a total ofthree community cards is provided before the player must make a decisionon the Play wager or fold decision.

At the beginning of the game each player decides whether to play thatparticular round of the game by placing an Ante wager against thedealer. Ordinarily the Ante wager is a bet solely in a 2-card poker rankcompetition against the dealer hand. Variants in the game may have someadditional awards based on extremely high-ranking hands, but these typesof rewards are usually reserved for any side bets. After placing theAnte wager and any additional side bet wagers (to be described ingreater detail later), each player receives a single playing card thatmay be face down or face up. At the same time or later, the dealer isprovided with a single playing card from one or more standard playingcard decks (with or without jokers).

At this point, the game may be susceptible to variations, each of whichstill resides within the scope of the generic invention. After receivingthe first player card, the game may proceed along any of the followingpaths of play:

-   -   1) The player may be required to make a Play wager after viewing        the first card to remain in the continuing game and after any        steps in which additional playing cards are provided and after        exactly three cards are provided in a single step as community        cards for all players and the dealer before the Play wager(s)        have been made;    -   2) The player may be required to make a Play wager after viewing        the first card and before receiving any additional playing cards        and exactly three playing cards are provided in a single step as        community cards for all players and the dealer after the Play        wager(s) have been made;    -   3) The player may be required to make a Play wager after viewing        the first card and before receiving any additional playing cards        and exactly three playing cards are provided as community cards        in multiple steps (e.g., a single card three times, a single        card and then two cards, or two cards and then single card) for        all players and the dealer after the Play wager(s) have been        made. Separate Play wagers may be optional or required after one        or more of the individual or groups of community cards are        dealt;    -   4) The player may be allowed to make a Play wager or call (stay        in the game without a wager) after viewing the first card and        before receiving all additional playing cards ultimately        provided as three communal playing cards in multiple steps        (e.g., a single card three times, a single card and then two        cards, or two cards and then single card) for all players and        the dealer after the Play wager(s) have been made. Separate Play        wagers may be required after one or more of the individual or        groups of community cards are dealt;    -   5) After single card has been dealt to the player(s), optional        side bets may be allowed; or    -   6) At least one side bet wager may be mandatory before receiving        the first card or after receiving the first card but before any        community cards are provided.

The following will describe a preferred mode of play for the game of thepresent technology. To play against the dealer a player makes an ANTEwager by placing an appropriate wager, such as a token or chip, or wherepermitted, cash, on the section 14 of his/her playing area 30. Thegaming chip may be of any conventional kind and available in a number ofdenominations such as are well known within the art. The casino willpost the house betting limits. To play against a pay table based on thevalue of a 2 card poker hand formed using the player's and dealer's holecards, the player would place an appropriate token, chip, or cash on the“Pocket Poker Bet” wager in section 12 of his/her playing area 30. Inthe present example, the rules of the game provide that payouts will bemade according to a displayed payout schedule with “Pocket Poker Bet”payouts starting at a straight or better.

In one embodiment of the present invention, player vs. dealer hands areranked according to the following hierarchy, though other rankings maybe used:

Straight Flush One Pair Straight Flush High Card

Another version of ranking may include jokers and have the followingrankings, although other rankings may be used with decks includingjokers:

Pair of Jokers Straight Flush One Pair Straight Flush High Card

One of the wagering options in one embodiment of the present inventionis a wager against a payscale or paytable. The bet is called “PocketPoker Bet” and has the following payscale as one example:

Royal Flush 25 to 1, Pair of Aces 20 to 1, Straight Flush 5 to 1, Pair 3to 1 and Straights 2 to 1 or Royal Flush 10 to 1, Straight Flush 7 to 1,Pairs 3 to 1, and Straights 2 to 1

Another of the options in a second embodiment of the present inventionwould be to have a game that did use jokers and an example of a possiblepayscale for the “Pocket Poker Bet” would be:

Pair of Jokers 20 to 1; Straight Flush 7 to 1; One Pair 3 to 1; andStraight 2 to 1

The payout schedules are preferably displayed in a convenient manner andlocation, on a physical casino card table or in an accessible screen ona video play system. At times the pay tables for different wagers andany extra ante bonus payouts will be displayed on the playing layoutitself and at other times the payouts will be on mobile displaymaterial.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention the initialtwo wagering options of an Ante bet against a dealer or a “Pocket PokerBet” wager against a pay table may be of equal or unequal amounts.

When the above wagers are in place, the dealer preferably uses shuffledcards (manually or by automatic mechanical shuffler) and then deals aone-card hand to each player and themselves. At the same time or at alater stage, the dealer provides three community cards as a flop, eitherin a single dealing step or in multiple (2 or 3) steps. Multiple stepsallows for multiple wagers. The player and dealer single cards mayeither be dealt face up or face down depending upon casino policy.

When the cards have been dealt, any player who has placed an ANTE wagerinspects his/her hand and determines whether to fold and forfeit theirbet or to stay in by placing a support wager in the PLAY area. The Playwager is preferably the same as the ANTE wager. The PLAY wager is madeby placing an appropriate chip on the section 16 marked “PLAY” on theplayer's playing area 30. When the player has made the wager then he/sheplaces the cards in section 18 next to the Play area.

If a player forfeits his/her ANTE wager, the dealer takes the wager andthe player's card is discarded if there is no side bet wager. If thereis a side bet wager the player's card will remain in play with his/herside bet wager. Pocket Poker Bets that are wagered without an ANTE wagerare always in play against a paytable.

The dealer reveals his/her card and shows their best two card pokerhand. The dealer then in turn reveals each other players cards (if theyhave not already been revealed), compares the players best two cardpoker hand to that of the dealer's, and resolves each players wager(s).

Each player's hand is compared with that of the dealer. If the dealerdoes qualify with a nine high flush hand or better and the player's handis higher ranked, then the player is paid even money on the ANTE andPLAY wagers. If the player's hand is of a lower rank then that of thedealer, the player loses both the ANTE and PLAY wagers. If the dealer'shand doesn't qualify with a nine high flush or higher and the player'shand is higher ranked, then the player is paid even money on the ANTEonly and the PLAY wager is a push. If the dealer and the player haveexactly the same hand, then the hand is a push and the player may eitherwithdraw his/her/wager, leave it or adjust it for the next round of playof the game.

The present game may also provide for an additional payout to be made bythe dealer, to the player who has made an ANTE wager and a PLAY wager,if the player achieves a predetermined hand ranking. The extra payoutwould be called the ANTE KICKER and would be paid regardless of theplayer beating the dealers hand or not. One preferred payout schedulewould be:

Ante Kicker TABLE-US-00004 2 Jokers 5 to 1 Straight Flush 2 to 1

Players who have wagered on the value of the Pocket Poker hand win ifthe hand is at least a Straight and are paid by the dealer according tothe posted pay scale. These payouts are independent of the results ofthe game against the dealer.

This procedure completes a single round of play of the game. Play thencontinues in another round of the game, with players commencing to makewagers on the Ante and/or the Pocket Poker Bet.

This novel method of playing a game may be utilized with playing cardsor as an electrical or electro-mechanical device such as a slot machine.Those skilled in the art will appreciate that suitable controls can beprovided for receiving the necessary input and therefore is within thescope of the present invention to provide a multi-unit video formatwherein a plurality of players may play against each other and/oragainst a dealer.

From the present description, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat various modifications may be made without departure from the scopeof the present invention. For example, the naming of the differentwagers, the naming and/or ranking of any hand, the changing of thenecessity or value of qualifying hands for both the dealer and/or theplayer, the payout schedule, and predetermined winning or losing ranksmay be varied in accordance with the rules of the game or therequirements of the casino.

The table game layout may be varied from that which is described andshown. The rules may be varied, or additional rules imposed, within thescope of the invention. Additional optional or mandatory wagers may beincorporated into the game with a view toward enhancing the playersinterest and ability to win additional wagers.

One such bet is a “Bad Beat Wager”. If allowed the player may place a“Bad Beat Wager” before the cards are dealt out. The player would bewagering that they would achieve a hand of at least a certain publishedrank and that this hand would be beaten by the dealer's hand of a higherrank. The player would lose this optional bet if the hand did notachieve the posted minimum ranking and did not get beaten by thedealer's hand.

Another such bet is a five card stud poker side wager. It may be playedusing all five cards, the player's hole card, the dealer's hole card andthe three community cards to form a five card stud poker hand paid froma paytable. A bonus of 2× to 5× the paytable may be paid if player anddealer's hole cards are a pair or higher with a winning five card studhand. Bonus payouts are not limited to using the dealer and playerscards to qualify for bonus.

It will be appreciated that additional marked zones may be provided toaccommodate any additional optional side bets. The marking of thebetting zones would be noted accordingly so that the player would knowwhere to place their wager.

The precise wagering requirements may vary depending upon the casinorules but the nature of the game will stay the same, that is, a two cardhold'em style poker game dealt with multiple rounds from at least onedeck. The precise wagering system can be varied in that any number ofadditional and/or optional bets may be incorporated into the game, oradditional mandatory bets may be incorporated by different house rules.These changes are not deemed to be a critical part of the presentinvention rather the criticality is in the playing of a two card pokergame with multiple rounds of hands.

The method of the present technology may be performed in a physical realstate format using physical playing cards or may be performed in avirtual or electronic environment with a processor, memory, randomnumber generator (which may be part of the processor or a separatemodule), a video monitor for display of the gaming events (e.g., virtualplaying cards, wagers, outcomes, and ancillary game information).

In a live casino table game with physical playing cards, the playingcards are randomized or shuffled by manual operation or by a mechanicalshuffling device such as the Ace® shuffler (Shuffle Master, Inc.),One-2-Six® shuffler (Shuffle Master, Inc.), MD-2 shuffler (ShuffleMaster, Inc.), and any other mechanical shuffler available commercially.The wagering in the physical game may be performed with traditionalchips, tokens or cash on the table. Or wagering may be performedelectronically in a mixed format (physical cards and electronicwagering) system.

If played in an electronic of partially electronic format (e.g., withphysical playing cards and electronic wagering), the table or electronicinteraction among players and the house would require the use ofessentially standard electronic interfaces and electronic gaming tablesand networks, having player input/output interfaces, video screens, andcombinations of processors, flash memory, RAM, EEPROM, storage,software, Random Number Generation, protocols among positions, securityfunctions and the like, as needed to properly execute play of the gameon the existing formats.

The games of the present invention may be implemented as live tablegames, television or cable game show games, video poker gaming machineplatforms, hand-held games for play, multiple player interactivewagering platform games (with kiosk formats, single player screens,community screens, and/or banks of seats for players with a commondealer screen), cell phone games, games downloadable from the internet,parlor games, games executed on personal computers, games played oninternet gaming websites, palm pilots, play stations and the like. Eachof the above game formats is contemplated by the present invention.Examples of known multiple player platforms are described in U.S. Pat.No. 6,607,443 and in U.S. Publication Number 2005/0164759A1. The contentof these two disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

A gaming system that can be used to practice the method of the presentinvention comprises a table and a dealer “virtual” video display systempositioned for view by players seated at the table. The table may seatat least two players up to the amount of players that can be configuredabout the table and have a view of the dealer video display system.Typically each gaming system will have at least four player availablepositions, with space determinations considered as to whether therewould be 4, 5, 6 or 7 player positions. It is possible to have acompletely circular dealer display (e.g., holographic display in acylindrical centerpiece) and have players distributed around the entireperiphery, but this is too dissimilar to standard play arrangements andcould slow the game down, as play should approximate that of a livegame, with players playing in sequence. A surface of the table includesa communal display surface for showing all player hands, communitycards, dealer hands and any other cards used to play the game for anypurpose, and, chips or other wagering designations. The table surfacemay include separate push button and or touch screen player controls,with our without other display features specific to the individualplayer. For example, the individual player screen may show a runninghistory of wins/losses, credits available, credits bet and play options.A majority of the table surface comprises a video monitor in one exampleof the invention. Where there are no touch screen controls, the tablesurface may include player control panels at each player station nearthe communal display surface.

The use of a large communal display surface offers some significantadvantages in simulating or recreating a standard card table surface.Cards may be readily viewed by other players at a table, which isstandard in table games and adds to player enjoyment. Individualmonitors, especially where slanted towards the individual players makesuch table-wide card reading difficult. The use of the full screen(continuous) communal display also allows for better animation to beprovided, such as displaying virtual images of cards moving to theplayer and “virtual” chips being placed on the table when wagers areindicated. For purposes of this disclosure, the term “virtual” means agraphical video representation of a real object or person, such as adealer, cards and chips, for example.

The individual player positions preferably have a separate intelligenceat each player position that accepts player input and communicatesdirectly with a game engine (main game computer or processor). Theintelligence is preferably an intelligent board that can processinformation. For purposes of this disclosure the term “intelligent”refers to the ability to execute code, either provided in the form ofsoftware or hardware or a combination of software and hardware circuits.Such processing may at least comprise some of signal converting (e.g.,signals from player card readers, credit deposit, currency readers, coinreaders, touch screen signals, ticket readers/printers and control panelsignals) into a signal that can be included in an information packet andinterpreted by the main game computer when the signal is sent.Communication between the intelligence at each player position is directto the main game computer and may be by self-initiated signal sending,sequenced polling by the main game computer (e.g., each positioncommunicates directly to the main game computer in turn), timedcommunication, or any other order of communication that is directbetween the intelligence and the main game computer.

One preferred form of communication between the main game computer andplayer station computers is by means of self-initiated signal sending.There is essentially a single main game computer that contains videodisplay controls and programs for both the dealer display and the tabletop display, audio controls and programs, game rules (including storageof multiple games if intended to be available on the machine), randomnumber generator, graphic images, game sequence controls, securitysystems, wager accounting programs, external signaling and auditfunctions, and the like. In other forms of the invention, the abovefunctions are divided between a main processor and one or moreadditional processors. The intelligence at each player position speedsup the performance of all aspects of the game by being able tocommunicate directly with the main game computer and being able toprocess information at the player position rather than merely forwardingthe information in raw form to the main game computer. Processing playerinformation at player positions frees up resources for use by the mainprocessor or processors.

A card game system may also include a suitable data and controlprocessing subsystem that is largely contained within a main controlmodule supported beneath the tabletop. The control and data processingsubsystem includes a suitable power supply for converting alternatingcurrent from the power main as controlled by a main power switch. Thepower supply transforms the alternating line current to a suitablevoltage and to a direct current supply. Power is supplied to a powerdistribution and sensor/activity electronics control circuit.Commercially available power switching and control circuits may beprovided in the form of a circuit board which is detachable, and plugsinto a board receptacle of a computer mother board or an expansion slotboard receptacle. A main game controller motherboard may include acentral microprocessor and related components well-known in the industryas computers using Intel brand Pentium® microprocessors and relatedmemory or intelligence from any other manufacturing source. A variety ofdifferent configurations and types of memory devices can be connected tothe motherboard as is well known in the art. Of particular interest isthe inclusion of two flat panel video display control boards connectedin expansion slots of the motherboard. Display control boards are eachcapable of controlling the images displayed for the dealer video displayand for the common display area. More specifically, the display controlboards are connected to player bet interface circuits for the playerstations. This arrangement allows the display control boards to providenecessary image display data to the display electronic drive circuitsassociated with the dealing event program displays and the dealerdisplay.

The use of a random number generator or other program or system torandomly provide virtual playing cards, as known in the art (such asphysically shuffling a set of playing cards, creating a file of therandomized order of those playing cards, and then providing the virtualplaying cards from that randomized order in the file to a virtualdisplay and the game processor) is referred to the use of artificialintelligence, as no direct human intelligence is used in the process.

The motherboard and/or the individual player intelligent boards alsoinclude a serial port that allows stored data to be downloaded from themotherboard to a central casino computer or other additional storagedevice. In one example, each player board communicates directly with thecasino computer system. This allows card game action data to be analyzedin various ways using added detail, or by providing integration withdata from multiple tables so that cheating schemes can be identified andeliminated, and player tracking can be maintained. Player performanceand/or skill can be tracked at one table or as a compilation from gamingat multiple tables, as by using Bloodhound™ security software marketedby Shuffle Master, Inc., which may be incorporated into this automatedgaming system. Additionally, player hand analysis can be performed. Themotherboard and/or individual player intelligent boards may also have akeyboard connection port that can be used to connect a larger formatkeyboard to the system to facilitate programming and servicing of thesystem.

Although the preferred system shown does not require featuresillustrated for receiving automated player identification information,such features can alternatively be provided. Card readers such as usedwith credit cards, player cards or other identification code readingdevices can be added in the system to allow or require playeridentification in connection with play of the card game and associatedrecording of game action by one of the processors. Such a useridentification interface, for example a card reader located at eachplayer station, can be implemented in the form of a variety of magneticcard readers commercially available for reading user-specificidentification information. The user-specific information can beprovided on specially constructed magnetic cards issued by a casino, ormagnetically coded credit cards or debit cards frequently used withnational credit organizations such as VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICANEXPRESS, casino player card registry, banks and other institutions. Theinformation could also be provided on other writable media, such as anRFID chip or card with writable memory, or bar coding, as just a fewexamples.

Alternatively, it is possible to use so-called smart cards to provideadded processing or data storage functions in addition to mereidentification data. For example, the user identification could includecoding for available credit amounts purchased from a casino. As furtherexample, the identification card or other user-specific instrument mayinclude specially coded data indicating security information such aswould allow accessing or identifying stored security information whichmust be confirmed by the user after scanning the user identificationcard through a card reader. Such security information might include suchthings as file access numbers which allow the central processor toaccess a stored security clearance code which the user must indicateusing input options provided on displays using touch screen inputs. Astill further possibility is to have participant identification using afingerprint image, eye blood vessel image reader, or other suitablebiological information to confirm identity of the user that can be builtinto the table. Still further it is possible to provide such participantidentification information by having the pit personnel manually code inthe information in response to the player indicating his or her codename or real name. Such additional identification could also be used toconfirm credit use of a smart card or transponder. All or part of thefunctions dedicated to a particular player station are controlled by theplayer station intelligence in one form of the invention. Additionally,each player station intelligence may be in communication with a casinoaccounting system.

It should also be understood that the player display screens canalternatively be provided with suitable display cowlings or covers thatcan be used to shield display of card images from viewing by anyoneother than the player in games where that is desirable. This shieldingcan also be effected by having light-orientation elements in the panel,and some of these light-orientation elements are electronicallycontrollable. This type of shielding could also be used in controllingvisual access to the main game play screen. In this manner, theprocessor can allow general viewing of cards in games where that isdesirable or tolerated, and then alter the screen where desired. Thesetypes of features can be provided by nanometer, micrometer or othersmall particulate or flake elements within a panel on the viewing areathat are reoriented by signals from the processor. Alternatively, liquidcrystal or photo chromatic displays can be used to create a screeningeffect that would allow only viewers at specific angles of view from thescreen area to view the images of cards. Such an alternativeconstruction may be desired in systems designed for card games differentfrom blackjack, where some or all of the player or dealer cards are notpresented for viewing by other participants or onlookers. Such displaycovers or cowlings can be in various shapes and configurations as neededto prevent viewing access. It may alternatively be acceptable to use aplayer-controlled switch that allows the display to be momentarilyviewed and then turned off. The display can be shielded using a cover ormerely by using the player's hands. Still further it is possible to usea touch screen display that would be controlled by touch to turn on andturn off. Similar shielding can be used to prevent others from viewingthe display.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to thesole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1) A method of playing a casino table card game using either physicalplaying cards or providing virtual playing cards in an electronic gameformat, the method comprising: i) Providing a randomized set of playingcards to be used in the card game by physically shuffling the physicalset of playing cards or having virtual playing cards from a virtual setof playing cards randomly selected by artificial intelligence; ii) aplayer making an Ante wager against the dealer on relative rank of aplayer 2-card poker hand against a dealer 2-card poker hand; iii)dealing a player one playing card a) as a physical playing card or b) asan electronic virtual playing card displayed on a monitor displayingimages provided from a processor; iv) dealing a dealer one playing carda) as a physical playing card or b) as an electronic virtual playingcard displayed on a monitor displaying images provided from a processor,respectively; v) the player receives three additional playing cards a)as physical playing cards or b) as electronic virtual playing cardsdisplayed on a monitor displaying images provided from a processor; andvi) after the player views the player single card and three additioncards, the player electing to make a Play wager in addition to the Antewager, or fold, or standing without a play wager. all wagers made insteps ii) through vi) are resolved on the basis of two card poker ranksby player and dealer selecting best 2-card hand using his hole card andone of the three community cards. 2) The method of claim 1 wherein thethree additional playing cards are community cards for all players. 3)The method of claim 1 wherein the three additional playing cards arecommunity cards for all players and the dealer. 4) The method of claim 2wherein the dealer receives three additional separate cards that are notcommunity cards for the dealer's three additional cards. 5) The methodof claim 1 wherein the Ante wager is resolved as a player versus dealerpoker competition based on 2-card poker rank. 6) The method of claim 2wherein the Play wager is resolved as a player versus dealer pokercompetition based on 2-card poker rank with dealer's qualifying hand. 7)The method of claim 1 vii) is not limited to the one hole card and onecommunity card to make best 2 card hand 8) The method of claim 1 whereina mandatory or optional side bet wager is made before step ii) and theside bet wager is resolved against a paytable based on 2-card pokerrankings using the player and dealer's hole cards, but not limited tothese two cards. 9) The method of claim 1 wherein the dealer receivesthree additional separate cards that are not community cards for thedealer's three additional cards. 10) The method of claim 1 wherein thedealer's first card is dealt face down. 11) The method of claim 1wherein the player's first card is dealt face-up or face down. 12) Themethod of claim 1 wherein the player must make a Play wager afterviewing the first card and before receiving any additional playingcards. 13) The method of claim 8 wherein exactly three playing cards areprovided in a single step as community cards for all players and thedealer after the Play wager(s) have been made. 14) The method of claim 8wherein the player is required to make a Play wager after viewing thefirst card and before receiving any additional playing cards and exactlythree playing cards are provided as community cards in either a singledelivery step or in multiple delivery steps. 15) The method of claim 1wherein the community cards are dealt in a single delivery step. 16) Themethod of claim 1 wherein the community cards are dealt in multipledelivery steps of one additional card in one step and two cards inanother step. 17) The method of claim 1 wherein the community cards aredealt in three delivery steps of one additional card in each of thethree steps. 18) The method of claim 2 wherein the player is given theoption of making a Play wager or call after viewing the first card andbefore receiving all additional playing cards. 19) The method of claim 2wherein exactly three playing cards are provided as three communalplaying cards. 20) The method of claim 1 wherein after a single card hasbeen dealt to the player, one or more optional side bets may be made bythe player.